Winx Club: Light & Shadow
by WinxClubLucieOmbre
Summary: Once more the Winx Club finds itself trying to save the Magic Dimension, this time from an ancient threat that's way above their powers: the nymph Taleia, who took someone very important hostage. What will they be willing to sacrify to achieve the power to defeat her?
1. Chapter 1

**01 - Back in Alfea**

\- Tell me again why we're here…

Stella's voice was nothing more than a whisper, a whisper full of skepticism and irony. Tecna turned around to shoot a disapproving look at her and Bloom gave her a tiny, sympathetic nudge.

\- I wouldn't do it if Daphne didn't ask me. Now that she's home for maternity leaving she's so worried about her class and this Madame Meanna, who's replacing her. My sister is a rational person but she never met her before she got her class and she's panicking.

\- But do we have to listen to the whole lesson? I thought we were done with studying, once out of Alfea…

\- I miss lessons...- murmured Flora, earning an incredulous glance from Solaria's princess - ...and even if Faragonda asked us to come she's busy right now, isn't she? We had to wait anyway.

\- But it's four, school is supposed to be finished at four!

Madame Meanna stopped for a moment, looking in their direction. She had big clear eyes in a dark skinned face and a wonderful cascade of dark blue curls, in strong contrast with the white tailleur she was wearing. Bloom thought she would scold them but she stared at them for a moment then went on with her lesson, ignoring them.

\- Five hundred years ago she was stopped by the nymph Meliade with a seal spell that last still.

A student raised her hand.

\- Madame Meanna, is it true that that spell has a term?

The professor's voice became cynical.

"I know what is said about that spell, that its end has been foretold, and that the greatest mind from in Magix's schools have worked on its replacement, but it's nothing more than juvenile presumption. How could students produce something at the same level as the spells of a Magix nymph? Nothing but juvenile presumption.

\- Interesting - muttered Tecna – this is the first time I hear about other nymphs other than Daphne and Politea. Bloom, do you think I could visit your sister and ask her something more about them?

\- It should be fine: the child is due in two weeks and until then Daphne hasn't much to do other then waiting!

Meanwhile, the lesson was over and the Winxs watched the slow parade of the pupils leaving the room, glancing at them with awe and admiration. Stella had a smile for each of them, Madame Meanna included. The teacher nodded in their direction and left the room without saying a word.

\- Finally! - Musa jumped up and stretched noisily – I can't sit a minute longer! Should we go to Faragonda now?

Bloom nodded, getting up and the girls followed her across the college to the principal's office.

\- This is so nostalgic...- muttered Aisha- I remember all the times that we got into trouble when we were here ...

\- Yeah, speaking of juvenile presumption! Someone should tell that Meanna all the things we did while we were here!

Stella's ardormade them laugh but silence fell in front of Faragonda's door. Years had passed since last time they had been there for a lecture but the atmosphere of that place was still slightly disturbing.

Suddenly Griselda came out of nowhere.

\- Good morning girls…

The years had had no influence on his appearance or his tone of voice, always cold and rigid.

\- Good morning Griselda- Flora murmured in his kindest voice. Various murmurs followed his greetings, some heartfelt, others much less.

\- The principal is not well, these days. He expressed the desire to see you, but I beg you not to make her tired and not to disturb her for more than necessary. I'll be in my office next door, and I will not hesitate to intervene if I feel that his state of health is threatened.

Those words threw the discomfort on the Winx. Was Faragonda bad? The principal had always been a pillar of Alfea, a beacon in their growth and maturation of fairies. She was elderly, of course, and it couldn't be otherwise, but it was the first time her age weighted on her.

\- Come forward, please!

The Winx came in and closed the door behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

**02 - Faragonda's Request**

Griselda's words had described a situation quite different from the one the Winx found in front of them once in the room: the woman sitting behind the desk was almost shining.

\- My dear girls!

She stood up and smiling came closer to shake their hands. Her eyes were sparkling and she had a warm smile on her face.

\- If Faragonda's ill, I want to be ill too...- Stella murmured in her friend's ears. Bloom hide her amusement smiling back to the principal.

\- Headmistress Faragonda, we're happy to find you in good health!-

The woman waved, as if dismissing the girl's words. - Oh, years pass, it's true, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve... Sit down, sit down, please! Tell me how are you doing!

\- Well, there's not much to say...

Faragonda was there during the recent fight against Kalshara and Brafilius and nothing exciting had happened to them in the following months. Great enemies defeats were only the prelude to a more or less short period of rest in which the girls could spend time with their families or the Specialists. Each of them shared the little daily joys of family life and Faragonda smiled warmly at each story.

\- Very well, girls, you know, I miss seeing you around this college. This generation of fairies... well, their reaction to the events of the world is very passive. Truth is, there are no great powers among the fairies of this college. You could help me in this.

\- Alfea will always be our home - replied Aisha - if we can help we will do it gladly.

The principal smiled even wider.

\- Give me your powers.

A dense silence fell on the fairies. Stella was the first to react.

\- Give you our powers? What for?

\- It would be interesting to know what brought the six of you to develop them so much when the average fairy is no more skilled than one of the same age from Cloudtower. I just want to analyze them.

Tecna tilted her head.

\- Surely the technology developed in Fonterossa could analyze them. Should we move there?

The woman seemed to smile even more and took, from a drawer, an handful of spherical gems, colorful but a little opaque.

\- It's not necessary, just touch one of these spheres. I'll take them to Fonterossa afterwards. Come on... you're not afraid, aren't you?

Tecna moved to reach one of the gems but Bloom grabbed her wrist.

\- All of us? Is one not enough?

Faragonda's eyes widened as she stared at the girl, her gaze so still it was almost disturbing.

\- You're not disobeying a request from your beloved headmistress, aren't you? Come on…

The principal pushed the gems toward them and they rolled slowly toward the edge of the table. Instinctively, Bloom stood up, pushing back the chair.

\- Girls, don't touch them!

There was something in the woman's eyes, something that made her shiver. Faragonda stood up without ceasing to smile and raised a hand.

\- If you insist with this behaviour I'll have to hurt you...

At these words the girls exchanged a quick look and crossed their arms over their heads.

\- Magic Winx... Butterflyx!

As the girls took the most powerful form the room filled with lights. Once the transformation was over, the girls faced Faragonda together but were greeted by a nasty surprise.

\- Who is that?!

Behind the teacher's desk there was a thin and trembling figure with a blue flaming aura around her. Long, smooth black hair were fluttering around her and the face was deformed in a horrible smile.

The transformation had broken the illusion that surrounded the poor principal: the monster who owned her now had long claws and a face almost completely covered in spiraling black tattoos.

\- I'll have what I want, by hook or by crook!-

\- What's going on here?

The door connecting the room to Griselda's office was wide open and the vice principal was looking around grimly.

\- Vice principal Griselda, Faragonda is... -

Bloom could not finish the sentence: the woman had begun to murmur words of a mysterious language while her austere clothes were changing into a dark blue uniform with a gray armor.

Griselda's eyes were fixed on Faragonda's as she spoke and her hands had begun to glow with a very strong light.

\- Tell Griffin that I'm sorry I cannot stand longer than that. You have five days.

The light in the room was so strong the Winx had to shield their eyes.

\- Your power is not enough to stop me, you fool!

\- And nor is yours, Taleia.

When the Winx opened their eyes two statues adorned the silent office: a Faragonda of shiny black obsidian and a Griselda of transparent, pure crystal.


	3. Chapter 3

**03 - Griffin's Intervention**

A few moments later Griffin arrived in a cloud of black smoke.

Flora was on the floor, her face hidden in her hands, her shoulders wincingin in silence. At her side, Aisha sat with eyes closed, as if listening. Tecna's gaze was lowered on the display of his tablet, which she typed furiously, but occasionally her sad eyes rose on the silhouettes of the two statues, incredulous. Musa's touch was also incredulous, her fingers brushing with hesitation the raised arms of the two women: Faragonda's, extended towards them, and Griselda's, widened as if to embrace the principal.

Stella could not look away from the greedy expression of their mentor.

\- Faragonda would never do a similar thing. She wasn't herself. That woman is not Faragonda...

Her words echoed in Bloom's mind and she desperately clung to it. When the witch appeared they all turned in her direction, hopeful.

The woman stared at the two statues for a moment that seemed endless to them, an impassive expression on the greenish face, then she sighed and something in her seemed to crack.

\- Oh, Griselda ...

Her voice was barely audible, even in that feverish silence. Bloom approached her cautiously.

\- Headmistress Griffin, we...

\- You will come with me immediately, no questions asked.

She looked around suspiciously then murmured something, quickly moved her hands and everything vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

When the Winx opened their eyes, coughing for the smoke, they found themselves in an unknown room. A wall was almost completely occupied by a large fireplace, the floor was covered with a thick dark purple carpet and a dozen of padded armchairs filled the room.

\- Take a seat...- murmured the witch, letting herself sink into one of the small armchairs. The girls obeyed and Bloom chose the chair closest to the principal.

\- I'll get you something hot... - she added, snapping her fingers. A few moments later each of the fairies found herself holding a cup of steaming chamomile with honey, and the atmosphere relaxed a bit.

\- Bloom. What happened?

The fairy was focused on the warm feeling in her hands. She suddenly realized that all of them had reversed the transformation, out of shock.

\- Faragonda summoned us, she said she hadn't seen us for a while... Sometimes she does that when we don't stop and say hello for a long time. Griselda said she wasn't well but when we saw her she was... happy, bright, joyful.

\- She smiled at us - added Aisha inbetween sips - she asked us how we were, she listened to our stories.

\- Then she asked us for our powers! - Tecna intervened - She said that the fairies of Alfea are weak and that discovering what made us develop our power could help them developing theirs. But she wanted them all.

\- All your powers... - the principal murmured.

\- But she had a different appearance when we transformed- began Flora - she seemed weak, aged, and around her there was like the ghost of another woman.

\- What was she like, Bloom?

\- She looked younger than Faragonda, with long black hair, they floated like she was underwater. I didn't see the color of the eyes but her face was covered with black spirals. And Griselda knew her. She called her... Talena, or something like that.

\- Taleia.

Musa stood up and approached Griffin's chair.

\- And Griselda asked us to tell you that she was sorry she couldn't stand longer, headmistress. She said we had five days. What did she mean?

All the girls' eyes were fixed on the principal.

\- The more enemies you defeat – she began, sadly - the more the Universe tries to balance things by sending new ones against you. It is a law that cannot be changed, we've all had to face it. And this enemy... comes from far away.


	4. Chapter 4

**04 - The Threat of Taleia**

Griffin made a fluid gesture with her fingers and the lights in the room faded. A blue glow flourished between them and the silhouette of Taleia came to life beneath their eyes.

\- She was one of the nymphs of Magix.

Young, smiling, her face still clean, the girls watched her exercise her powers on water and wind. Then came a dark shadow that pierced her chest and the spiraling black tattoos grew on her like tendrils of a climbing plant.

\- Evil corrupted her. She tried to steal the powers of her companions, just as she tried to steal yours. Some people carry a huge emptiness inside and try to fill it with power. Her companions tried to bring her back from the dark side...

Shapes of light grew around Taleia, gesticulating in her direction, shaking her shoulders, trying to hug her, but her face remained black with ink and her expression remained impassive.

\- ... in vain.

One of the light silhouettes took the outlines of a tall girl with long brown hair and a body covered with glows. The girls watched her mutter something, then the lights that covered her body converged in a sphere on her hands. The girl seemed to shout something, throwing the ball on Taleia. The lights whirled around her then seemed to immobilize her and they both disappeared.

\- Hesperia was the only one determined enough to imprison her. Her relic has kept her imprisoned for hundreds of years ...

\- ... until today - Bloom blurted out - when she got hold of our principal. How could this happen?

The vision faded and the lights returned to shine as before. Bloom was a little stunned, and she found herself rubbing her eyes.

\- I have no idea. The threat of Taleia was thwarted, it's true, but it isn't a subject on which much is known. The nymphs of Magix have always been a big mystery.

\- But if it's nymphs we're talking about we can ask my sister! She surely know this story and...

Griffin laughed bitterly.

\- Bloom, we're talking about more than five hundred years ago! Your sister is barely fifty!

\- But...

The witch stood up and began to walk nervously in the chairs, followed by the worried eyes of the girls who were only waiting for her to say a word.

\- The nine nymphs of Magix were born in the first places touched by the Great Dragon, who created the Magic Dimension. They lived long and challenging lives but none of them is still alive...- she broke off for another bitter laugh - ...except for Taleia, apparently. When their bodies fade away their essence abandons them to be born in another body, less powerful but animated by the same spirit. Your sister Daphne incarnate the essence of the nymph Driope and her recent enemy, Politea, the one of the nymph Pasitea. Taleia was one of the first nymphs, extremely powerful... only the strength of Hesperia, a first nymph too, managed to stop her, and only at the cost of her own life.

\- But none of the first nymphs survived...- Bloom murmured darkly.

\- Headmistress Griffin - Tecna stood up to get closer to the woman too - what do we know about the relic of Hesperia?

\- It is a very ancient artifact, forged by the first members of the lineage of Hagen, whom you have met. Many great artifacts are the work of that clan of blacksmiths. If that relic can help us, he will know it. I will visit him immediately.

\- And Griselda?

The headmistress' shape seemed to crumple up as she lowered her head with a sad expression. After all, she was the same age as Faragonda and had fought countless battles with her. Her eyes, as she turned to Flora, were anything but inexpressive.

\- Griselda sacrificed herself to stop Taleia but you heard it as well: we have five days to find an alternative. Her power will not last long.

\- Sacrificed?

\- The spell will last for five days and after that Taleia will stop being a statue. As for Griselda… there's no way to know if and how is she going to survive the spell.


	5. Chapter 5

**05 - We Must Save Her**

The Winx remained alone in the room while Griffin disappeared into the umpteenth cloud of smoke.

The silence had a bitter taste, of unspoken things. They didn't need to open their mouths to perceive that feeling of outrage: someone had violated the security of their college, taking over even the headmistress.

It wasn't a nice thought.

\- We must save her.

They all turned to Musa. Her slender hands were clenched into a fist because of the intensity of that sentiment.

\- Whatever is asked of us, whatever challenge it requires, we must save Faragonda.

\- You saw her- murmured Flora sadly -she seemed so old and weak, imprisoned inside the ghost of Taleia...

\- Of course! -Bloom rose to her feet, furious – Faragonda did so much for us!

\- And Griselda...

They all bowed their heads to Stella's words. She was strict, she was inflexible and could be a gigantic thorn in the side for a student of Alfea. But Griselda was still part of the faculty body and she was the right arm of Faragonda. Her sacrifice nade them proud and sad at the same time.

-Tecna, do you think...

-If you're asking me to search online for news of this Taleia and Hesperia, I've done that already. There's nothing more than Griffin already told us. These nymphs are a mystery that the web can not unravel. Let's hope she's more successful talking to someone in the flesh and blood.

-There is always the library of Alfea...-murmured Musa, uncertain. They all went silent: the idea of going back there, so close to the two statues in the office of Faragonda, was a bit disturbing.

-Bloom, we need to warn the rest of the professors! Wizgiz, Palladium... What will they do without Faragonda or Griselda?

Flora's words triggered a storm of thoughts in the girl's mind. The students would have panicked, the school organization would have wavered, the lessons, the exams... The concern was so blatant on his face that Stella laid her hand on her shoulder.

-Easy, Bloom! You're doing your I-gotta-save-everybody face again. You're a fairy, you're not the only guardian of the Magic Dimension. Everyone will do his part.

-We could call Codatorta!-proposed Aisha, hand on her cell phone – even the Fonterossa library could help us. And reporting what happened to Alfea will raise its guard. We don't know if Taleia had any allies.

\- Right!

The fairy of the Dragon flame seemed to regain control.

-Aisha, warn Fonterossa. Two of us could go there to talk to Saladin and check their library, while other two return to Alfea to look in our library and to warn the other teachers. And two more could stay here waiting for Griffin and look in their library.

Stella smiled encouragingly.

-Very good, this is the right spirit! Flora and I will stay here in Torrenuvola, you and Musa will fly to Alfea and Tecna and Aisha can visit Fonterossa.

Having a plan in mind was a good start and the girls felt a little more heartened.

They were about to transform and fly away when the umpteenth cloud of smoke rose up in the room.

-What a timing...-commented Stella, while Griffin made her appearance, holding something in her right hand.

-Where are you going, ladies?

They were all standing behind Bloom.

-We need to know more about the relic of this Hesperia and the only way to do it is through the libraries of the three colleges. You have to warn Fonterossa and the other professors at our school!

-This spirit of initiative gives you honour but I will contact the dean of Fonterossa and the faculty of Alfea. There are protocols to follow, in these cases, it is not a matter that you can handle rashly.

Aisha wants to reply to those words but Flora's hand rested on her arm, stopping her.

-Mrs. Griffin, what did Hagen tell you?

-Searching for traces of the Hesperia relic will not get you anywhere.

The headmistress handed Bloom an elongated object, which the fairy took cautiously in her hands.

-This parchment contains the only known testimonies about that object. It is a very precious document: do not lose it, do not damage it. I'll be back in a few hours: stay in this room and don't create any more problems.

And she dissolved for the umpteenth time in a cloud of smoke.


	6. Chapter 6

**06 - The Parchment**

Bloom sat near the only little table of the room and started to carefully open the parchment that Griffin give her.

It wasn't very long, more or less like her forearm. Its outside was covered in drawings and sketches, sometimes too faded to be recognizable. On the right side stood up the image of the warrior nymph that Griffin showed them, Hesperia.

The rest of the paper housed drawings of swords and gems, the portrait of a girl which hair shone radially like a sun, the drawing of a mysterious jewel who resembled a metallic flame and, drawn by a light hand, some landscapes.

Between a drawing and the other a minute calligraphy had traced lines and lines of notes, written in an incomprehensible language.

\- Is this it? - exclaimed Stella, peeking at it over Bloom's shoulder.

\- What did you expect, a tutorial? - Musa's voice was a mixture of fun and disappointment.

Bloom run her fingers over the drawing of the flame, absent-mindedly.

\- We should start by translating this writing, don't you think?

Tecna knelt down near the little table and took a picture of the parchment with her inseparable tablet. When she turned around her eyes were sparkling with impatience.

\- I managed to get my hands on Magister Aemil's latest tecnospell, I think that's what we need. It only takes a picture of the writing and...

\- Magister Aemil? - asked Bloom, curious.

\- He's a wizard in exile – started Tecna passionately – and nobody knows where he lives but sometimes he sends his spells, usually tecnomagic, in order to contribute to the development of the magic community.

Aisha laughed softly.

\- According to my parents it's nothing more than a nice story and behind his tecnospells there's simply a lab that doesn't want to reveal his name. A wizard in exile? From what?

\- Yes, sure, go on, mock me – grumbled Tecna – but so far his spells have always worked and when I'll translate all of this inscriptions with his tecnospell you will all thank me.

\- What would we do without you, Tecna?- exclaimed Flora. The girl blushed but kept on typing undaunted.

\- This drawings are all but clear... - whispered Bloom while her eyes kept going back to the mysterious metal flame.

\- It could be anything – considered Musa, pointing at the different drawings – a piece of armour, this flame shaped jewellery, these gems. And the landscapes.… they're not ringing any bell. What do you think about them?

The girls focused on the drawings while the expression of Tecna, who was still sitting on the rug, got more and more frowning.

\- Wait a second..

Aisha gently splipped the parchment from under Bloom's hands and held it closer to her eyes.

\- I dreamt this place for weeks after we reached the Infinite Ocean through it... Bloom, isn't this Roccaluce's cave, where Daphne was imprisoned?

The fairy stared carefully at the drawing that Aisha pointed her. The shapes of the nymph of Magix along the walls, the crystal at the center and the pool of water all around...

\- Sure, this is Roccaluce! Anyone who made this drawings had access to Roccaluce!

\- Look here...

Aisha pointed at the back of the cave. In the shadows, long lines of writing sculpted in the stone could be seen.

\- I don't remember seeing them when we met Omnia. How could we miss it?

Bloom thought of the innumerable dreams that Daphne had sent her, of all the times she had found herself in the cave, of when, to fight Tritannus, they had crossed the lake.

\- I don't remember anything like this either. If there was something sculpted on the wall I would have seen it. Surely that hasn't been done after our visit...

\- Girls, we've got a problem.

The fairies turned toward Tecna, who flipped the tablet in their direction.

\- It's not a code nor an unknown language...

\- That's good, right? At least you can understang something! - exclaimed Stella, trying to decipher the writing on the screen.

\- The problem is that a lot of letters are so faded they're illegible and so they also make a lot of words illegible as well. Look: it says "gem of power" and "balance of magic" but you can't read what's between them. Some inscriptions are transcribed here as well but the rest of them...

Bloom bowed her head on the parchment, thinking.

\- The only way to decipher this words is to go personally to the Roccaluce cave. We should go tomorrow.

\- Do you think Alfea would still have a room for us? - whispered Stella.

\- Who knew, this morning, that all of this was going to happen?


	7. Chapter 7

**07: Incomprehensibile**

When Griffin finally came back the Winx were pretty tired: Tecna didn't do anything but strive on the missing letters of the inscription and the others tried in vain to help her, suggesting the more disparate words, like an improbable crossword puzzle.

\- Headmistress Griffin, how's the situation at Alfea?

The witch drop herself on one of the armchairs, her face darker than how they remembered.

\- Under control, at least for now. We didn't say anything to the students, only that Faragonda and Griselda are travelling for an important research. Madame Meanna and Palladium have the situation under control, but Wizgiz got it very bad.

The girls bowed their heads thinking about the cheerful professor crying.

\- We'd want to come back to Alfea: spend the night at school and go tomorrow to the cave of Roccaluce.

The parchment seems to point out that there might be some inscriptions out there. It's not much, but we don't have much time.

\- I'm glad you're so determined. Not much is known about Hesperia's relic but it's a very powerful thing. If it could take care of Taleia until now, I think it can be used again. I'm only wondering what permitted, out of the blue, her escape... I'll try to shed some light on the matter while you look for the relic and I'll keep you updated about any developments.

\- Before we go, would you like to take a look to the parchment?

Griffin took the item from Bloom's hands and opened it gently.

\- We tried to translate the writing that accompany these drawings- Tecna showed the woman the screen of her tablet -but some are illegible. Is it possible to give them to the linguistics experts from Red Fountain? Maybe they could work on them while we are on mission.

\- Saladin offered all possible collaboration, obviously: a power like Taleia's, free and without control is a danger for all the Magical Dimension. If there would be any news, on all fronts, we'll contact you.

\- We'd want to take the parchment with us- Bloom started, but right before she could finished the sentence the headmistress weaved her hands in the direction of the object, which shrank 'till it vanished.

\- I'm sorry but I can't permit such an artifact to fall into the wrong hands. I hope you have taken photos of the most useful parts. Now I need to rest and I'd want you to leave me alone. I'll materialize you at Alfea to save you the flight and tomorrow morning Saladin and I are going to assist your departure. Go.

The girls didn't even have time to reply: before they could even realize they were back in Alfea, in a cloud of black smoke that was slowly dissipating.

\- I'm starting to find these smoke clouds boring- Stella coughed, fanning herself with her hand.

\- Is this...?- whispered Musa, wide eyes, looking around. The smoke was revealing a room that resembled a lot the one that saw the birth of their club.

\- I think this is the apartment Daphne told me about...- Bloom took a few steps on the hanging staircase that lead to the first floor - She claims that Faragonda had the secret hope to see us back teaching here and she made this apartment for us, based on the rooms we occupy the first year.

Flora covered her mouth with both hands: -How nostalgic!- they heard her whisper, with watery eyes.

\- It has really been quite a while...- whispered Aisha in turn, looking around with her eyes widened. The room was luminous and comfortable and the balcony opened over the schoolyard, as it did once. Stella and Musa climbed the hanging staircase and soon the others could hear their approving murmurs.

\- The beds are all in the same room, this time!

\- And there's also a wardrobe of an almost decent size!

Bloom laughed: -Faragonda knows us very well!

\- The fridge is full and my stomach's empty- whispered Flora absent-mindedly, opening the door -Who's helping me preparing dinner?

\- I'm coming- offered Aisha immediately, joining her near the kitchenette.

\- I'm helping too.

Bloom smiled seeing Tecna abandoning her tablet for once and climbed the stairs to the upper floor to get to the other girls.


	8. Chapter 8

**08 – Without sleeping**

\- Are you awake?

Dinner had been quite merry, all considered: it had been easy to push aside the concern for the current threat while they were exploring the apartment together, cooking and laughing. Having that little place just for them was almost like they were on vacation, and they almost gave in to the temptation of a sleepover party, until Bloom reminded them that their mission, on the following day, needed them to be awake, well rested and snappy. But…

\- Musa, can't you sleep?

The beds were on two levels and Stella was the closest to Musa's bed.

\- I can't stop my brain. It's like it feels that I'm at school again and it brings back all the memories of classes, all the anxiety for the exams, everything we did while we were here.

\- Yeah, it's the same for me... – whispered Aisha from the other side of the room – I keep going back to the first night that I spent here. You girls were already a group, but instead I...

\- I had no idea you were still thinking about it... – a rustle in the dark suggested that Flora got off her bed to get close to her friend's one.

\- It's not like it happens every day – smiled the fairy of waves - It's just the proximity to the school that brings it back to my mind.

\- And to think it has been so long... who would have guessed we would have come so far?

Bloom's gaze, lost on the ceiling's drawings, went through all the experiences that they lived together: the first misadventure in Melmamora, their rivalry with the Trix, Valtor's threat... and the magic lessons, so unexpected for a girl who lived on Earth.

\- I have to admit it, Bloom, when I saved you that day I really wasn't expecting you would turn out to be Domino's princess! Do you remember that day when you passed for the princess Varana of Callisto? We weren't that far from the truth after all!

They laughed together, remembering the inquisitive gaze of Griselda and the Faragonda's welcome. As if their thoughts were contagious, the room fell in a thick silence: the two statues were just a few rooms away from where they were resting.

\- We will make it – stated Aisha with confidence in the dark – Do you remember when we were stressing about gaining the Enchantix? How many adventures did we live since then? How many powers did we achieve along the road? And yet that year we were worrying as much as we are now. And we didn't have all the experience that we have now.

\- The Trix... – counted Bloom – The Wizards of the Black Circle... Valtor... Tritannus... Acheron... Lord Darkar... Kalshara...

\- And don't let me start with all the simpering girls that we met along the way, like Diaspro! We have never been defeated! – exclaimed Stella, making the rest of the group laugh.

\- We had never faced a nymph, though.

Tecna, who had remained silent until that point, had put in words that thin fear that hid in all of their hearts.

\- Griffin said that only Hesperia had been able to face her. And she didn't defeat her, she only imprisoned her.

\- We don't have to defeat Taleia either –replied Flora kindly – we only have to retrieve Hesperia's relic. Tomorrow we will check the inscriptions in Roccaluce and we will star from there. We have got all the time we need.

\- Flora's right – said Bloom – our mission is just a rescue one, a search. Once we got the relic we will decide what to do next.

\- Still – muttered Tecna, lost in thoughts – the more I read those transcriptions the more I had the feeling that something was missing...

\- One thing at the time – said Aisha, yawning – tomorrow, with a rested mind, we will try to decipher those words again. It will be fun for once, like solving a brain teaser together.

\- If we want to have a rested mind we should sleep, girls... – scolded Bloom .

\- We are not doing this on purpose! We would need someone to sing us a lullaby...- complained Stella – Musa, can you do us this little favour?

A little laugh came from the corner where Musa's bed was.

\- If you girls insist...

The room seemed to light up for a moment while the warbles of the fairy of Music filled it. The other girls closed their eyes and listened to it, thinking about nothing.

 _Have you ever seen that wonderful world? It's a special place that lives inside your heart!_

 _Close your eyes and you'll be there in a moment, with your colourful wings, and everything is possible now that..._

Musa's voice seemed to enter inside them, warming them up with its sweetness, comforting them with her words full of hope.

 _You can believe in yourself, remember who you are, don't you ever give up..._

 _The courage you have is a light,_

 _One day you'll be a star if you want, but to us you already are._


	9. Chapter 9

**09 - Return to Roccaluce**

The next morning Griffin and Saladin were waiting for them in Faragonda's office.

Although they had already seen the statues the day before, the girls could not help a shiver when they saw them again. They were wearing comfortable and practical clothes, suitable for any eventuality, and Tecna carried her handheld in a sturdy shoulder bag.

\- I admire your initiative» started Saladin - and I'd follow you without hesitation if I had... seventy years less and I was not framed with the paperwork.

The old headmaster turned to Griffin.

\- I've been asked to re-open Monteluna, you know? They say it's been over fifty years and it's time for wizards to be given a second chance.

The witch's reaction was almost imperceptible, but Bloom noticed her pupils dilating in surprise.

\- I don't see what this has to do with me…- she murmured coldly. Saladin sneered.

\- We'll see. Helia could be a great teacher after all…

Flora shot a perplexed glance at Bloom, but said nothing.

\- By the way, girls, me and Mrs Griffin offer you all the support you will need in this difficult hour. There is, of course, no need to say how much we are all in pain for the fate of our beloved Faragonda and Griselda. We will continue our investigation of the parchment from here and contact you as soon as possible.

Griffin seemed to have nothing to add and stared at them silently.

\- I think your destination is Roccaluce. You're headed for the Nine Nymphs' Cave, aren't you? Excellent. Go, and let the Dragon watch over you!

The old teacher swirled the stick with unsuspected agility and then tapped it on the ground, releasing a flash of light that dazzled them.

When the girls reopened their eyes were no longer in Alfea but in the anteroom of the cave that had once been Daphne's prison, their boots sunk in the span of water, the air pervaded by humidity and a dim gleam produced by the crystals in the rock.

-Yuk!- exclaimed Stella fanning herself with her hand - They should ventilate this place every now and then!

\- The tide rises and descends...- murmured Aisha touching on the walls the signs of the water movement - We don't have much time. What do you think we'll find, Tecna?

The Fairy of Technology unsheathed the faithful tablet and looked around.

\- Actually, we might have to transform. There is a ninety per cent chance that the inscriptions refer to a test, but it is unclear whether it was a testimony of something happened in the past or a warning for the future. The sentences are so archaic that I cannot even distinguish the verbal times...

\- Do you think there might be a physical challenge that we have to face?- murmured Flora, tying her long hair into a tail on top of her head.

\- I can't ask for more!- sneered Aisha, who in recent times had had no possibility of training. The fairy jumped like a boxer along the passage that led to the cave itself, followed by the rest of the Winx.

\- Whatever it is we'll face it together...- concluded Bloom as they passed under the stone arch. That place was so familiar to her... Her gaze ran to the wall drawn in the parchment but as she remembered there were no inscriptions on the rock.

\- Maybe you need a magic word, like in movies!- ventured Musa, resting a hand on the smooth surface - Say friend and enter!

\- What's the Elvish word for friends?- laughed Flora, touching the wall with her fingers as well.

\- I'd be more careful if I were you- murmured Stella with a suspicious expression on her face.

\- Are you afraid it might be a trap? But it was Hagen who gave us the parchment...

\- I know Bloom, but there's something in this place that doesn't convince me.

\- Are you scared cause there's no sunlight?- Aisha teased her.

\- It has nothing to do with the light! There's something in this place, don't you hear it?

\- Stay calm, girls, now we're going to look at the parchment transcript together and solve this mystery. Tecna?

\- I swear: if Griffin doesn't send us a better translation quickly...

\- Tecna?

No one had answered Bloom. The girls turned around, accustomed to the fact that Tecna, distracted by her technological devilries, was always a few steps further back.

But there was no one behind them.


	10. Chapter 10

**10 - Together**

\- Where did she go?

\- She was here a moment ago!

The girl's frightened comments overlapped confusedly, echoing in the rocky space. Bloom was looking around shocked. That cave was not that huge, what could ever have happened to Tecna?

\- What if she's sunk? - groaned Musa

\- But we all walked on the same path before her...

Stella raised an arm and evoked a sphere of light that filled the space. Unfortunately it did nothing more than establish that the five girls were alone in the cave.

\- She can't have vanished into thin air. We have been here more than once and nothing ever happened to us!

\- And yet Tecna...

\- What if she's been kidnapped by someone?- Flora looked around, searching for shadows.

\- We would have noticed!- replied Bloom, but she moved a few steps to the point where Saladin had magically transported them, just in case. Nothing: the corridor was deserted.

\- Bloom, you don't think we should...

Musa didn't finish the sentence. Bloom turned around but...

\- Girls. Where's Musa?

Aisha, Flora and Stella turned to their leader, their eyes widened.

\- It's not possible!

Musa was gone too.

\- You were so close to her!- exclaimed desperately Bloom, touching the rock near to the point where she saw Musa for the last time.

\- This is not happening to me... it's a dream, right? Aisha, give me a pinch...

Stella's face was distorted into a terrified mask. Flora reached for Aisha, clinging to her sleeve as if to prevent her from disappearing.

\- Come closer, let's stay together!

The girls moved shoulder to shoulder, forming a circle facing outward.

\- Do you see anything unusual?

Stella's light globe, above their heads, had become even brighter, perfectly illuminating every nook and cranny of the cave. The water level, around their boots, was raising slowly.

\- What if we can't find her...- started Aisha in a very low voice - ...before the tide?

\- We should have run away as soon as we arrived!- groaned Stella. Flora turned to her friend.

\- You said you felt something, that something was bothering you. Focus, Stella, maybe we can figure out what it is and defeat it!

The blonde fairy took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

\- It's like there's something alive, something that breathes on my neck. Something invisible around us.

Stella's face seemed less frightened and Flora smiled at her, encouraging.

\- Did you see that? We can still-

Where a moment before was her sweet smile now there was nothing left. The fairy was gone, under their eyes, just as they stared at her. Stella gasped, Aisha didn't hold back a whimper.

\- Flora!- she cried desperately - Bloom, we have to do something!

Half of her friends were gone. The girl tried in vain to think of something but her brain refused to cooperate. Aisha was telling her something, gesticulating, but her ears couldn't hear her. The fairy of fluids took her by the shoulders, shaking her, but it didn't work.

\- Stella, I'll try to raise a water barrier. Maybe it will protect us from whatever is in this cave!

With her eyes half closed to concentrate, Aisha started to move her hands but the thin wall that rose from the floor of the cave fell back almost immediately with a noise of rain. Even Aisha had vanished into thin air.

The two were alone. Stella seemed shocked while she stared at her. What could they do against an invisible enemy? Bloom reached for her friend's hand.

\- Stella, please don't leave me!

Her friends were all gone. Who would have saved Faragonda and Griselda if she had disappeared too? Tears of despair filled her eyes as she hugged Stella. Even her Dragon Flame was useless.

\- Bloom...

And then Stella disappeared as well, sinking the cave into darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**11 - A New Teacher**

-...very happy that you answered my convocation with so little notice.

Flora blinked, confused. Blades of sunlight were passing through the glass door in front of her, blinding her.

\- Are you alright, Flora?

Faragonda was staring at her with worried eyes and something, about her face, had caused another wave of inexplicable confusion in her mind.

\- I... I believe so.

The girl had recognized the walls that surrounded them: she was at Alfea, in a hallway of the wing that housed the classrooms. The door in front of which they stopped, however...

\- I think the lesson is almost over but I'd like you to witness it anyway. Come back to my studio when you're ready, I will be there.

The principal walked away and joined Griselda at the corner of the hallway. Flora stared at them, imbued with an odd feeling. It was almost like the urge of telling them something, something important that she couldn't remember at all...

She turned to the unknown door and opened it carefully. The light of the sun covered her and immediately a huge smile blossomed on her face: the room was a jubilation of plants and flowers. Even the air was different from the hallway: hot, moist and full of that green fragrance that she loved so much.

\- ...even if generally it's better to leave that to someone more handy with a sword!

A chorus of giggles echoed those words. A woman was giving a lecture through those plants and Flora glimpsed, through the leaves of an Arundo of Andros, a little group of young fairies.

\- In any case you better remember that you're dealing with an unpredictable plant and that even if you follow my instructions that's no guarantee your harvest will end well.

The woman's voice sounded familiar...

\- The Magic Antirrimo, on the other hand, reacts very well to cuddles, as long as you're careful enough to start by the cheeks and not from the top. See?

Flora smiled remembering her first experience with the Magic Antirrimo: it came easy to her just to stroke those petals whose shape reminded the jaws of a wild beast and the flower had reacted opening up and offering her his nectar which gives courage.

\- ...the plants opens their petals, allowing you to prepare the Coraticum potion, who help against fears. Lastly there's the Mimulo which, on the contrary, if harvested in certain conditions...

The days of full moon...

\- ...for example in the days of full moon, it's used to prepare a very special potion...

Who gives invisibility for a few hours…

\- ...who allowed to acquire the invisibility, even if only for a very short time.

Her father taught her half of those things and the other half she had learned on the job. She would have loved to attend those lessons when she was studying there!

-...and now you know the main uses of the plants of this family. That's all for today.

While the fairies lefts ignoring her, the girl came out and, exactly as she thought...

\- Eldora!

\- My dearest Flora!

The extravagant fairy godmother welcomed her with a warm hug.

\- Did you like my lesson?

\- It would have been very useful when I was at Alfea: there are things I've had to learn the hard way!

\- I know but the school hasn't had a Chair of Floromagic for many years...

Flora helped the woman gather her stuff and followed her out of the room.

\- I'm so sorry, I'm in a hurry cause I'm trying – started Eldora – to develop a crossbreed with the lunar plants of Selenia to see if I can...

\- ...Improve the dream tea? It's a wonderful idea! Did you also try with Ipomeas?

Eldora stopped in the middle of the hallway, flashed.

\- Well, isn't that a wonderful advice? I've got to run and talk about it with Palladium!

And she walked away full speed.

The headmaster Faragonda was sitting at the desk and waiting for her with a satisfied smile.

\- I don't know what you've told Eldora but I've just heard an extraordinary praise about you from her! She seems to think that that your passion for plants and flowers is second only to hers.

Those words made her blush.

\- No, I've only suggested her... well, a flower who maybe could...

\- Take a seat... how did you find the lesson?

\- Very informative: it would have been my favourite subject if Eldora was teaching in those years.

The headmaster nodded, serious.

\- I've asked her to come back to teaching permanently but we are having some difficulties. You know her, she has her own pace, her habits, and she's lived on Earth for all this years... I think school life is far too small for her. She's an excellent teacher and she knows a lot of things, as you may have noticed...

\- Undoubtedly! So much field experience... I had my father but I had to learn so much by myself... I wish I could have been her apprentice, I'd be much better now!

\- Don't diminish yourself, Flora, you are one of the more talented student of the last century when it comes to floromagic. Eldora seems to be sure about it and that, in turn, convinced me even more of the decision: Flora, you will accept Eldora's Chair?


	12. Chapter 12

**12 - Run**

Aisha's eyes opened on an apparently endless grassland. Her legs were running even before her brain could give them impulse. A stride after the other, faster and faster. How long since she'd run like that? There was something liberating in that movement.

"Run away"

A thrill up her spine. There was something behind her back. A shine of sweat slipped under her t-shirt, in the scorching heat of that place.

What place was it?

"You're in danger"

A part of her would have wanted to stop and catch a breath but that voice, in her head, pushed her forward. And it wasn't only that voice, there was a noise, a rhythmic sound... she turned around.

And her blood froze cold in her veins.

"Run!"

Where on earth was she? Behind her back, between trees who's top was all she could see, run a creature she had never seen before. It had two very long, disturbingly thin legs and two arms just as long, which ended with two tapered blades and a body that resembled a bug's shell. Its triangular head looked like an arrowhead on which two opened cracks hosted the eyes.

"Run"

The grassland, littered with dried-up shrubs, seemed deserted. In the distance, a ridge of trees was in sight, just about visible on the horizon, too far to determine if they were high enough to offer a shelter from that creature.

She was out of practice. Her ankles started to hurt, her breath burned in her lungs. She wasn't used to run anymore: when she transformed there wasn't any need to walk.

She could transform.

She stopped for just a moment, raising her arms and concentrating on the only words that could save her life.

-Winx Butterflix!

Nothing happened.

She reopened her eyes in a rush, in her ears only the rhythmic noise of that creature getting closer.

Magic wasn't working?

"Run!"

That voice in her head again. She ran forward again, confused, with thousands of thoughts chasing each other in her mind. No magic. An unknown monster. A mysterious voice.

Where were the others?

Her right foot landed on a rock and she nearly lost her balance, her ankle bent in an unnatural angle and saved only by the boot that wrapped around her calf. The ground's dust was stuck on its wet surface, slowly covering it with mud.

Water.

The tide, the cave, Flora hanging on her arm, Bloom's voice calling Tecna, the inscriptions on the walls... everything came back in her mind in a confused whirlwind, to the point of making her dizzy.

She swerved and almost lost her balance, regaining it at the very last moment.

"Be careful"

She heard the monster behind her making a noise in-between a roar and a rattle of claws on a rock, like it satisfied him to see her in trouble. But a part of her brain, the one controlling the run, isolated from the rest of it and worked on her own, letting her thoughts free to keep flowing.

They were in Roccaluce, looking for the artifact that could save Faragonda, looking for a way to defeat Taleia. Those incisions and the nymph's notes... what was her name?  
Hesperia.

A light bloomed in her mind, a severe face, with straight brown hair.

"You've finally remembered my name. You are worthy to reach the place where my relic is located."

The line of trees, on the horizon, seemed to slowly get closer. Even the shrubs, scattered all over grassland, were changing in shape. Aisha always had an extraordinary tenacity, but that long run was starting to be too much. The monster behind her had gained ground and from that small distance its blades looked way more threatening.

"You must not fear it, look how fast you are... You'll reach my trees in no time."

And then she heard a scream, a few steps behind her. Familiar, super high-pitched, desperate.

She quickly turned around, this time losing her balance for good and falling on her knees. Halfway between her and the monster, flat on her back and with her hair covered in blood, lay a girl.

It was Musa.


	13. Chapter 13

**13 - A Fairy Prize**

\- Tecna, you've got mail.

The voice seemed to come from very far way and the girl blinked for a moment, feeling confused.

The environment around her seemed unusually smooth, polished and incredibly bright.

Yet she was in her living room, in Zenith, the home where she grew up. What was that confusion?

\- Mail?

It never happened: all the mail, usually, came online, where a complicated algorithm calculated the priority of each message. Magnethia crossed the living room, reaching the table where her daughter was sitting and handed her a rigid paper envelope.

\- The seal of the Supreme Tecnowizard is on it, I think it's an official thing.

The fairy carefully opened the envelope, intrigued. Mail in Zenith was very rare and the fact that it came from the Supreme Tecnowizard was even stranger. Inside there was a white little cardboard with golden edges and the shining holographic seal.

\- It says that the Epsilon technology PDA Timmy and I were working on got a big recognition and the Supreme Tecnowizard himself invited me to his laboratory to talk about it.

Her mother watched her with widened eyes.

\- Your first recognition! And you're so young! Your father is going to be really proud of you! When is the invitation? Maybe we can come with you...

\- It only says come as soon as possible, I don't think it's something official. Relax, if they are going to organize a public event with a big celebration you'll be the first ones to know.

\- I'm so happy that your hard work is finally being rewarded!

Tecna smiled: being a Winx and living thousands of adventures with her companions was one thing but that little passion for technology and inventions was something that always remained in the background, even though it was so important to her. And that project, which she worked on with her beloved Timmy...

\- Me too, mom, me too...

The Supreme Tecnowizard's laboratory was on the top of a building, in a heat-resistant glass dome that let all the light in but stopped the heat, in order to avoid the greenhouse effect.

In the elevator Tecna watched the city under her feet while going up, floor after floor. The iron and glass lucid buildings were shining in the afternoon light. She couldn't believe she was meeting such a brilliant scientist: she'd been reading his blog and listening to his podcast since she was a child but meeting him... that man was like a celebrity for her. She was almost excited and that weakness had her laughing a bit about herself.

The door of the elevator opened directly to the laboratory, a place she found huge and shiny.

\- There she is! Welcome!

Standing behind a table covered in notes and calculations was the Supreme Tecnowizard who waved for her to come closer. Every inch of that space was hiding something interesting to watch and Tecna's walk was slower than she planned it to be, distracted by all the details in the laboratory.

\- I can really tell you're passionate about this!

Selvin, the Supreme Tecnowizard, didn't look his age and had a happy and jovial face. He waved for her to sit down on a stool and started to root around his papers, looking for something.

\- We've been very impressed by the Epsilon technology that you showed us, Tecna! All the Magical Dimension knows about the wonderful Winx but we didn't expect one of them to be such a genius! You honour Zenith with your magical and intellectual gift!

Tecna couldn't help herself but blush. It didn't happen often to her to be appreciated for her tecnomagical efforts and she'd certainly never expect Selvin to do so, one day.

\- You know, we are thinking about organizing a big event and give you a prize in public. In my opinion young minds have to be showed as an example to the rest of the planet, and I'm not the only one who thinks so! We were thinking about a Tecnomagic festival and a competition for young students, at the end of which you could award the prize, and then... well, we are thinking about giving you the First Magical Atom, Tecna. You'd be the first fairy to be awarded!

\- This is... so unexpected, I don't think that... it's not all my work, I should...

Tecna was speechless. The First Magical Atom was a huge prize, the kind of prize that every passionate of Tecnomagic dreams about since childhood, sure that's never going to happen, and her and Timmy...

\- What about Timmy?

\- Timmy? – Selvin seemed not to understand.

\- Timmy, my partner. The credit for the Epsilon Technology is his own as much as mine. Why isn't he here with us?

\- But Tecna, be sensitive... a fairy like you cannot share the prize with someone like...

\- Are you telling me that there's not going to be a recognition for him as well?

Selvin shook his head.

\- No Tecna. The prize will be yours only.


	14. Chapter 14

**14 - The weight of the mission**

"Climb"

Bloom blinked: there was something in her eyes, something that stung. She instinctively tried to reach for her face but she stopped right before doing it, frightened. Her fingers were desperately hung on a spike, her face a few millimetres from the rock and her feet resting on an invisible handholds. She closed her eyes and stood still, forbidding herself even to breathe, the itching forgotten in a second.

"You must climb"A mysterious voice was talking in her mind. Climbing? It was a miracle that she could still breathe. What on earth was she doing hung on a rock?

There was no way to look down and maybe it was better that way. She closed her eyes again, trying to concentrate on her surroundings. The only noise was the rustle of the wind, not too loud, and the rock felt warm under her fingers. She breathed in to calm her mad heart. At least the wall's slope let her put all of her weight on her legs.

"Climb"

That voice again, a woman's voice that sounded somehow familiar. She raised her head very slowly and found herself staring at what looked like other five meters of rock: beyond them she only saw sky. The rock around her wasn't too smooth, after all: she bent her leg searching for an higher handhold and found it without problems.

"Very good"

She sighed. Now she was obeying to a voice in her mind! If the girls could see her... the girls! What happened to them?

Her fingers were automatically looking for an handhold above her head while she leaned on her highest foot to gain ground. Maybe climbing wasn't be her passion, but she realized she kinda liked it.

The last she remembered was the darkness around her, left from the sudden vanishing of Stella. How could she have woken up on a mountain? How did she arrive there?

The most frustrating thing was how slowly she was proceeding. She had to carefully control every handhold before looking for the other: if she had slipped her hold she could-

Maybe she could fly. It would be so easy to reach the top of that mountain flying!

She left her hold and carefully crossed her wrists above her head.

\- Winx Butterflix!

Nothing happened and Bloom couldn't hold a huff.

She stubbornly proceeded, new heandhold for her foot, lift with attention, new handhold for her hands, repeat with the other foot. The sky looked nearer and nearer until her legs lifted her beyond the end of the wall where, after a forecourt of a few meters... there was another wall.

\- Are you kidding me?- asked the fairy to the bunches of grass that dappled the forecourt. She lifted and let herself fall on her back on the rock, wheezing to catch a breath. The idea of being so high terrified her, but she couldn't shut up that part of her that, for curiosity or something, really wanted to lean and look down.

In that moment the notes of Sky's ringtone started: in the panic of the moment Bloom didn't realize that she had her phone in her pocket. She grabbed it, excited, pressed the button to activate the holocall and Sky's handsome face appeared in front her.

\- Sky, thank heaven you called me! You'll never guess where I am now!

\- Oh, let me guess: you're somewhere on a dangerous mission you didn't tell me about.

The boy's expression was unusually severe and Bloom frowned.

\- ...what?

\- Don't "what" me, you know very well what I'm talking about. Do you think I'm having fun staying here and asking myself what trouble I must save you from, next time? Or listening to my subjects' voices about how unfit the future Queen of Eraklyon is? But most importantly, how do you think I feel knowing that when you dove into these things you don't even have the time to warn me?

\- I...

Bloom didn't know how to reply. Those words hurt her but the boy was right: how many times did she warn him before leaving for one of their missions? And what was the last time she was the one looking for him?

\- Sky, I... I'm so sorry...

\- Bloom, I'm asking for the last time. Come back home. Leave whatever mission you are on and start thinking about us, about Domino and Eraklyon, about what we want to build together. Return to me, or I...

Sky's lips tightened for a bit and then the boy continued with noticeable struggling.

\- ... If you won't come back I swear I'll call off our engagement.


	15. Chapter 15

_**15 - Carnelia**_

\- ...strictly secret that you must not share with anyone. Princess?

Stella jumped. It wasn't the first time she fell asleep for the tone of her tutor's explanation but in that case she didn't even remember sitting on the throne of the heir of Solaria. And yet there she was, the room luckily empty and Sunèe's disapproval filling the air.

\- You fell asleep again, princess? Maybe you don't realize that, but from this assignment depends your position on the throne. If they won't find you worthy the crown will pass to your cousin Selene.

\- Assignment?

Sunèe sighed. The road to forge a worthy sovereign of Solaria was so hard...

\- I know that you're tired, princess, but I also know that you are perfectly capable of pass this trial. You must only focus, prove to your subjects that you have enough abnegation to ascend the throne, start your mandate with an incontestable proof that in your blood flows the sun of Solaria itself.

It was in moments like that that Stella remembered why she still listened to Sunèe: his words were capable of turning on something inside her, they made many things possible, they gave her that warmth that her parents were often incapable to give her. Sunèe had seen something in her, something that she often couldn't see herself.

\- Forgive once more my tiredness, Sunèe, and tell me more about this secret.

\- Very well, princess Stella... everybody, on Solaria, can tell you that, as dauther of king Radios and queen Luna, you are the first in order of succession and the throne rightfully yours. There is, however, a test the heir to the throne is asked to take: if you will fail, like I said before, the throne will pass to your cousin Selene.

\- Really?

The man nodded.

\- The trial establishs a very important requirement, essential for a sovereign.

His tone and the air of mistery had increased Stella's curiosity.

\- And what is this trial? I've never heard of it...

\- Because the tradition requires not to say a word about it to the heir until the right age. Besides, it's a secret kept by the royal family: a prince or a princess who would fail will be forced to abdicate. It hasn't happened often but...

Stella was starting to be almost worried.

\- And what is this trial?!

\- Has the king ever taken you to see Carnelia?

The girl shook her head.

\- It sounds familiar to me somehow but...

\- In that case come with me. I'm surprise he never did...

\- I'm not surprised at all...

The fairy followed her tutor through the hallways and the rooms of the palace of Solaria, up to the innumerable stairs to the tower.

\- Don't tell me that I have to climb all the way to the top, Sunèe...

\- It will feel like a walk in the park compared to the test you have to take.

Silenced for once by his words Stella covered the last distance in silence to reach the room on top of the tower, filled with light from the windows all around. In the exact center of the room there was a pedestal whit a glass showcase, inside of which...

\- She's so wonderfull!

...there was the most beautiful stone that Stella had ever seen. It was like if someone had caught the last glares of a Solaria sunset and set them in that stone, clouds included.

A flaming sky offered itself to her eyes, caught in a gem as big as the palm of her hand.

\- This is Carnelia. It's part of Solaria's treasure and it is said to protect our kingdom as long as she is kept under the sun everyday.

\- How could my father never take me to see her?

The nose flattened onto the glass showcase, Stella stared at the stone, in worship. It was almost like the glares were talking to her, like there was a connection among them.

\- Now you like it but before the end of the month it will become your personal nightmare.

\- My nightmare? - Sunèe's words managed to distract her from that rare beauty.

\- For the trial. In the coldest moment of the year Carnelia must be guarded by a member of the royal family and kept warm.

\- Like the egg of a little bird? Sounds so absurd to me...

\- In this season the stone is more vulnerable and the royal family is the only one who possess enough power to do this. This will be your task: you will carry it always with you, keep it warm, focus your energy on it without ever getting distracted.

Stella shut her eyes wide: focus wasn't her strong point, even when she was at school!

\- And for how long... how long does this trial last?

\- Seven days.


	16. Chapter 16

_**16 - In the Woods**_

\- Go down!

She was awoken by the smell of the forest and that strange voice in her head.

A repeated murmur surrounded her, the whispering of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, the flowing of the water in the distance... yet she was amazed by the wild smell of that place, the moisture that lingered on her skin, that smell,powerful and never tamed.

\- Where are the girls?

\- You must go downstream.

She didn't remember anything. She rose slowly to her feet, still stunned, looking around. Those trees vaguely reminded her of the forests around Alfea, those in which the friendship between the Winx had cemented. Flora would have had the answer in a heartbeat, but she was obliged to stretch the ear and listen, in search of a trace, a clue, something that would explain that voice in the head.

In vain.

\- Go down!

The trees were so numerous that she could not identify any landmarks beyond that forest. Hills? Mountains? Who could say... everything she saw, in every direction, were branches, trees and leaves. She could not rely on the view to orient himself.

\- But...

There was water in the distance. Usually on the banks of the waterways there were settlements, and then...

\- Water flows always descend downstream.

Musa smiled and listened carefully, isolating the various rustling in her mind to identify what interested her: the gentle sound of the flowing water. She took that direction.

How did she end up there? It certainly wasn't the kind of place she usually went to. She liked the crowded, noisy places, places like shopping malls where you could go from one music to another and there was no sign of that deafening quiet.

And the girls?

She felt their absence. Not that she could not live without them but having them always around generated... a sort of rhythm, something she felt the absence in a physical way. Like a silence.

\- You must go down to the valley!

That voice was unbearable. Wasn't she already going down the valley? And what was so important there? She almost wanted to change direction, out of an impulse, then she suppressed it. There was certainly a reason if she was in that forest but she could not remember it.

The sound of water was getting closer but it was not the only one: a rhythmic rustle had joined it, a noise different from any other in that forest. Musa froze, thanking the Ethereal Fairies that Stella had given them clothes in neutral colours before leaving for...

The search for Hesperia!

The memories re-emerged one at a time: the inscriptions on the parchment, the cave, the disappearance of Tecna. Maybe that forest had something to do with the inscriptions? Perhaps one of the sketches depicted the place she was supposed to find?

The fairy had stopped while thinking and she had not realized that the mysterious noise had gotten closer.

\- Go on to the valley, Musa... you will find the answers there!

The voice in her mind, this time, was accompanied by the same face that Griffin had shown them the day before: a strong woman with clear eyes and a determined expression. Hesperia.

The girl's footsteps became wary: Musa rested her feet on the ground carefully, avoiding any noise. That rustling she felt was surely someone's footsteps. What if they attacked her?

She crossed her wrists over her head on impulse, concentrating on the word «Butterflix» without speaking, but nothing happened. Perhaps it was necessary to say it out loud? She preferred not to take that risk and went on silently towards the sound of water.

In the distance, the wood seemed to thin out and a slice of the sky was prominently visible in a glimpse between a tree and the other. Maybe she had got to the river! She sped up the pace, impatient, and nearly tripped over a protruding root. She managed to maintain the balance but to do so she clung to a low branch, breaking it with a loud snapping and nulling any attempt to go unnoticed.

It was impossible for her to make up for that mistake: she chose the largest trunk in sight and leaned her back on it, ready to use her magic against any eventual aggressor.

When the footsteps approached and the mysterious intruder came out of the thicket, however, her heart stopped in her chest: before her, amid the trees, stood Riven.


	17. Chapter 17

_**17 - Courage**_

\- Teaching... here? In Alfea?

Flora's incredulous tone got a small laugh from Faragonda.

\- Yes, darling, here at Alfea. It looks incredible but even we, sometimes, enroll new staff. And there's no one who I'd be more pleased to have in the whole teaching body. Obviously that's not a decision to make impulsively... I only wanted to ask you in person.

\- Teacher in Alfea...

She had already briefly been one, after she achieved the Enchantix, but in that case she was sharing the chair with the others. To become a teacher of Flowermagic would've been another thing, only hers: a big responsibility, a very important step she never planned in her life.

\- You will have your own apartment, the management of the greenhouse and the study plans... that's the basic offer I give to all my teachers, but of course there's always place for personal needs.

\- Of course... – murmured Flora, listening to only half of the headmistress's words.

\- I see my request upset you more than I expected, Flora. Take your time to think about it. You can stay here and talk with Eldora... and if you have any questions I'll be at your disposal.

The girl rose and faced Faragonda.

-Thank you, miss headmistress. I'll think about it thoroughly, but regardless the answer, I consider it an enormous honor.

The woman leaned towards her and took her hands

\- Nothing for me is more satisfying than seeing my students blooming and being happy.

The confidence Faragonda's words gave her left her as soon as she closed the studio's door behind her, replaced with a rain of whispers in her mind.

You don't have enough experience. You won't gain any respect. You're too young. You don't know enough things. You can't compare yourself to Eldora. You're not made for teaching.

She closed her eyes and sighed. Those murmurs were right: she'd better refuse.

She slowly walked across the desert courtyard's corridors, seeking comfort on the flower beds and sat on the grass with her legs crossed, without sandals, absentmindedly caressing the fresh stems.

She sighed again, her gaze lost on the far treetops. Her nostalgia for that place had an almost tangible taste: the afternoons doing homework, the fresh air's comfort after the long lesson hours, the incursions in Selvafosca, looking for new flowers or plants to study.

At least Faragonda was right about that: her passion for plant world had always been enormous, since she was a kid. She used to follow her father everywhere, in their garden, and listen for hours to his explanations, learning plants' names and properties and falling in love with every flower that bloomed under her father's care. The family's photo albums where full of pictures where, dirty and smiling, they showed a new little plant to the camera.

Then came Miele and the student became a teacher: the little sister was a bit clumsy and she got distracted very easily, but that made Flora's satisfaction over her results even bigger. She started to understand her father better and sometimes she found herself daydreaming on having a little girl with dark hair next to her to whom repeat those tricks, those nursery rhymes that Rhodos used to teach her to memorize those concepts they repeated together.

That thought made her blush. Sure, she had always thought that sooner or later a child would have arrived, but the one in her daydreams had Helia's dark hair... She shook her head, as to shake that picture away from her mind. She was too, too young.

Teaching to a kid? She laughed: Faragonda was offering her a whole class. A classroom full of young enthusiasts about Flowermagic, with their favorite flowers... And that image bloomed without any effort in her mind: a class of kids around Miele's age, listening to her, asking her questions, taking notes, showing her the result of her work. She felt a twinge of desire.

The image of the class, her class, triggered a new wave of murmurs: a sister is a thing, but a whole classroom? And the experience? And her magic level, which she didn't feel fully complete yet? And then, and then... and then that twinge, which was becoming stronger and stronger, overwhelmed that negative hum, transforming in a strong, clear, brave voice. The whispers were still there but they were nothing but a tickle, a distant worry, weak voices opposed to the reply that seemed more defined every second.

Flora opened the door of Faragonda's office, with an awfully luminous smile on her face:

\- I accept the chair. I want to teach.


	18. Chapter 18

**12- Loyalty**

Aisha could not believe her eyes.

Her friend was laying helpless on the barren ground, the unmistakable shiny hair spread around her head like a blue pond.

I have to help her.

\- You have to run!

The face in her head was peremptory, stern. Hesperia's voice pushed her to the trees but the girl got up and snapped in the opposite direction towards her friend.

\- What are you doing?

\- Musa!

The fairy turned to Aisha, the beautiful face dusted and striped with tears.

\- Aisha! How did we end up here?- sobbed the girl stretching her arms in her direction. The Fairy of Fluids took her hands and helped her to get up, an eye always turned to the creature that gained ground, but Musa, in rising, groaned and slumped again.

\- I fell, as I ran... I'm afraid I twisted my ankle.

\- Put the weight on the other leg, quick...

The girl passed Musa's arm around her neck to support her and together they stood up.

\- We just have to get up to those trees- murmured Aisha confident, but when they turned they seemed even more distant than before. And behind them, with a rhythmic and threatening noise, the creature approached.

\- I only remember Daphne's Cave...- whimpered Musa, limping.

Despite the slender body, her leaning on Aisha made their movements very slow. The fairy clenched her teeth and continued to walk.

«You're very close, just leave her here and you can complete the mission alone...»

Aisha shook her head to chase out that voice. The monster was getting closer.

«You can't transform, you can't fight that being...»

The Fairy of Music stopped suddenly.

\- Aisha, I'm just slowing you down...- she murmured in tears -I could stop and distract him... so at least you'd save yourself, wouldn't you?

Her blue eyes were full of courage and a thrill ran down the back of Aisha. She looked around and she noticed a branch a few steps later.

\- Don't be silly, Musa. I could never live with the thought of leaving you here.

She picked it up. It was not too thick but it seemed sturdy: she waved it with her free arm and felt its weight.

\- Sit here. We've faced far worse things, haven't we?

Musa obeyed and slid cautiously to the ground. Aisha stood between her and the monster that was coming quickly. In seeing that the two girls had stopped, the creature had thrown back that verse, that horrible screeching that had given the Fairy of Fluid the desire to run away.

But she did not.

\- Come on, you ugly beast!

The closer it came the more Aisha could distinguish its details: its body resembled that of an insect and it gave off a tremendous stench that for a moment had her gagging. She breathed with her mouth and she grasped the stick like a baseball bat.

\- Aisha, run... save yourself as long as you can!

«Your friend is right: look at those blades, it will slice you both in a flash. And no one will accomplish the mission...»

The monster was almost on her.

It wasn't much taller than Aisha, just those inches that were enough to make her dodging its blades by passing under. She avoided its first attack and slipped behind it, the adrenaline that throated in her veins and made every detail even sharper. She found herself staring at the creature's backbone, a row of hideous pointed growths.

\- I won't run! - she yelled at the creature that turned to attack her again - If there is a hope of surviving then we will go together!

Aisha lifted up his stick and struck the creature to the strongest trunk she could.


	19. Chapter 19

**19 - Sense of Justice**

The Festival was wonderful.

Zenith was famous for its technology, sure, but usually every scientist and engineer worked on its own, in the secret of his laboratory. That day everything was out in the open instead, and Tecna, as the special guest, had the permission to pry everywhere she wanted to.

In that moment the competition was almost finished: it felt a bit like those terrestrian cooking programs Bloom always watched, with a big table on which they could pick the ingredients and a limited time to prepare the recipe. But in that case the recipe was replaced by an invention and the table was full of more or less sophisticated mechanical parts.  
It was a pity Timmy wasn't there with her.

Once she had left the Supreme Technowizard's laboratory she sat down silently in front of her mobile phone for at least twenty minutes, trying to take a decision.

She didn't.

She let the days pass without doing anything, without calling him to explain the situation or talking about her convocation. That was easier... and a part of her couldn't wait for the Festival to come: that prize was a dream come true!

Now she was there, a few steps from the prize-giving stage, almost hidden by a curtain.

Beautiful in her new dress, which her mum had wanted super formal for the occasion, but wound tight like a violin string thinking that out there somewhere Timmy was at the fair.

\- Excited?

Selvin had got closer without her noticing.

\- A bit- she admitted, reluctant. She wasn't completely comfortable with the intensity of her emotions.

\- It's an unprecedented occasion- smiled the man, sipping an amber liquor between a sentence and the other -Also a good advertising for Alfea.

Tecna had seen Faragonda in the crowd, escorted by Palladium. It was true, that prize was a win for Alfea too: it surely wasn't famous for its results in technology. She sighed. But...

\- Do you think your partner is here somewhere?

She couldn't reply to that question. She thought she had seen him at least three times, but everytime it wasn't him. She had promised herself not to look for him but apparently her eyes weren't obeying to her brain.

\- It's time. I go out, you just wait until I call you and then you get up, ok?

And he left her alone with her thoughts.

The Winx were there somewhere in the crowd, probably bored because that festival didn't have any appeal for them. She was happy they came but... there was something inside her that didn't let her be.

\- Thank you all for participating to this special event, inhabitants of Zenith! We need to let you know that the contest ends in five, four, three, two... done! The participants are asked to leave their laboratories immediately, so the judges can take a decision. By the way, I want to thank somebody...

In her mind, she couldn't deny it, she had imagined a similar speech as well. Her parents would've been the firsts, and then Timmy. But in that situation it felt like an hypocrisy.

\- I'm sure you all know her, but let me introduce her anyway: a very young fairy, graduated from Alfea...

A wave of squeals followed those words, exploding like a firework in a precise spot in the room. Tecna smiled: Stella's, Aisha's and Musa's voices were definitely recognizable.

\- ...and Guardian Fairy of Zenith planet itself, as well as owner of an impressive number of achieved transformations! Ladies and gentlemen, Tecna!

She walked the corridor between the two rows of chairs, barely lifting her long damasked skirt and getting to the middle of the stage surrounded by the applauses.

\- Today we asked her not only to reward the prize to the winner of the young inventors, but also to attend to receive a coveted award, the First Atomagic, earned for her own invention of a new technology that...

\- That invention isn't mine.

Selvin, the only present close enough to hear that, suddenly stopped talking.

\- I beg you pardon?

Tecna gently took the microphone from his hands and got near the ledge of the stage. There was a unmistakable mop of reddish blond hair near the platform and that time she didn't need to look for his eyes to know it was him.

\- I can't accept any award. Not until my partner, in the laboratory and in real life, won't receive the same prize. There's a guy with a wrinkled shirt, down there, looking like he doesn't know where to look. He deserves the award as much as I do.


End file.
